Another tax tale from Guilford County
You might have thought that the drama surrounding Guilford County tax director Jenks Crayton was over.
You'd be wrong.
Crayton and the tax department resurfaced last week as a single line item tucked into the 2005-06 county budget. The county commissioners added back a tax appraiser position that county manager Willie Best had proposed cutting in his recommended spending plan.
If that sounds like run-of-the-mill bureaucratic maneuvering, it's not. Here's the skinny:
As many Scoop readers know, Democratic commissioners ordered a state investigation of the tax department amidst allegations that Crayton handed out undue property-tax favors to Republican commissioner Steve Arnold and others. One of Crayton's accusers was county tax appraiser Calvin White, according to Crayton and Democratic commissioner Paul Gibson.
After a weeks-long investigation, the state revenue department cleared the tax director of all charges, and Gibson and eight other commissioners voted May 19 to put Crayton back to work. Gibson still had some questions for the tax director, however, so a few days later he went down to Crayton's office in the county courthouse to chat.
The two men talked and, according to Gibson, came to an understanding that Crayton wouldn't engage in any kind of retaliation against tax-department employees who accused him of wrongdoing. (Crayton denies this part of the conversation, but more on that later.)
When the time came for each county department to submit budget proposals, Crayton proposed a plan that cut six positions related to the 2004 countywide property revaluation. White held one of those positions.
So Crayton discussed the cuts with county manager Willie Best. The tax director noted the financial reasons for cutting the positions, "and I pointed out the likelihood of controversy," Crayton said. He said he gave Best a few options to consider if the manager didn't want to cut White's position.
When Best presented his proposed budget to commissioners on June 2, all six positions had been eliminated. Afterward, he said Crayton's recommendations made sense because the revaluation had been completed and those positions were no longer needed.
"You hire someone for a period of time," Best said of the revaluation jobs. "Once it's over, it's over."
But Gibson was furious. He marched down to Crayton's office "mad as hell" that Crayton had axed White's job, the commissioner said. Crayton tried to respond, but Gibson wouldn't let him.
"I didn't give him an opportunity to talk to me," Gibson said. He added: "He works for us. We don't work for him. He's got to please me. I don't have to please him."
Crayton denies retaliating against White. He said he was cutting positions that were no longer necessary in an attempt to save money. He also denies reaching any sort of understanding with Gibson.
"What kind of dunce would I be if I made an agreement and - within two weeks - violated it?" he said.
Gibson, meanwhile, told other commissioners that Crayton had broken their deal. When the board approved the budget on June 23, White's position was added back.
"We felt it was a retaliation move by Jenks," said Democrat Melvin "Skip" Alston, a longtime Crayton critic. "And we were not going to allow that to happen."
So White is still an appraiser in the tax department. And bad feelings between a group of commissioners and the tax director remain.
"One man brings them a stack of allegations, all of which turn out to be false, and they believe every word that he says," Crayton said. "And another man has told them nothing but the truth, and they treat him like a habitual liar. I mean, how bizarre is that?"
Comments (6)
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It's beyond bizarre. The position eliminated was a temporary (long-term) one, just like the other five. The prevaricator was also given, I believe, a very nice severance package. This is a case of a County Commish interfering in decisions that are NOT his purview. Keep the story in the light and shine it on such shenanigans from these politically-driven, (not citizen-driven) elected officials.
Posted on July 1, 2005 7:06 PM
It's my understanding that local governments can't give severence packages. Unless they term it as a consulting fee like the ex-health director.
Posted on July 2, 2005 8:45 AM
Scoop - Why was this story posted on the blog page and not in the print edition of the News & Record? This is very interesting, and another example of our Commissioners' distortions and poor judgement.
Posted on July 2, 2005 3:46 PM
THIS IS INTERESTING. AS EVERYONE KNOWS, THERE ARE FIVE COMMISSIONERS (ME INCLUDED) WHO SKIP ALSTON, BRUCE DAVIS AND PAUL GIBSON FEEL SHOULD NOT BE INFORMED AT ALL. WHEN PAUL GIBSON MADE THE MOTION TO ACCEPT THIS RIDICULOUS BUDGET I NOTICED WHERE HE HAD ADDED THE POSITION (CALVIN WHITE'S) BACK AND PLANNED TO QUESTION IT, BUT AS EVERYONE KNOWS THEY (DAVIS, ALSTON & GIBSON) CLOSED US OUT AND ADJORNED. THIS BUDGET WAS PRESENTED BY PAUL GIBSON WHO (WHEN A CANDIDATE) PROMISED EVERYONE HE WOULD NOT SUPPORT A TAX INCREASE OF ANY KIND NOR WOULD HE SUPPORT INSENTIVES. HE'S DONE BOTH !
I JUST HOPE EVERYONE WHO READS THIS, AS WELL AS THE NEWS AND RECORD, KNOWS THAT THIS BOARD IS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL AND AS LONG AS THEY (THE OTHER FIVE) ALLOW SKIP ALSTON TO BE IN CHARGE HE WILL CONTINUE MICRO-MANAGING....ESPECIALLY NOW THAT HE HAS PAUL GIBSON AND THE OTHER FOUR HELPING HIM.
I UNDERSTAND WHY THE MORAL OF OUR EMPLOYEES IS AT AN ALL TIME LOW. THEY ARE AFRAID TO DO ANYTHING FOR FEAR ALSTON, DAVIS AND GIBSON WILL TAKE AWAY THEIR JOB. OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS NOW REALIZE THEY DON'T RUN THEIR DEPARTMENT...SKIP ALSTON, DAVIS AND GIBSON DO.
JENK CRAYTON HAS BEEN CLEARED BY THE GREENSBORO POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE SBI, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE N.C.DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, BUT YET ALSTON/GIBSON CONTINUE BASHING HIM.
THIS IS WRONG!! JUST AS IT IS WRONG NOT TO INCLUDE FIVE COMMISSIONERS WHO WERE ELECTED TO OFFICE THE SAME WAY THEY WERE.
I HAVE HAD CITIZENS TO SUGGEST OUR BOARD BECOME BI-PARTISIAN IN HOPES THAT WE CAN ALL START WORKING TOGETHER. MY ANSWER? THAT WILL NOT MATTER AT ALL BECAUSE AS LONG AS SKIP ALSTON IS ON THE BOARD THERE WILL BE CONTROVERSY. HE WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.
FOR THE RECORD I TRIED TO MEET WITH PAUL GIBSON BACK IN MARCH OR APRIL TO SEE IF WE COULDN'T START WORKING TOGETHER AND ALL OF US START WORKING FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTY. HE SAID HE WAS GOING OUT OF TOWN AND WOULD BE BACK IN TOUCH WITH ME THE FOLLOWING WEEK. HERE IT IS JULY, AND I HAVE YET TO HEAR FROM HIM. HE OBVIOUSLY HAS NO DESIRE TO WORK WITH THE FIVE REPUBLICANS ON THE BOARD.
COMMISSIONER TRUDY WADE AND I ALSO CONTACTED KAY CASHIO AND KIRK PERKINS TO SEE IF THEY WOULD MEET WITH THE TWO OF US AND TRY TO WORK TOGETHER ON THE BUDGET. WE MET THE DAY BEFORE OUR BUDGET WAS PRESENTED AND TRUDY AND I THOUGHT THE MEETING WENT WELL. ALTHOUGH WE ALL AGREED THAT WE COULDN'T AGREE ON A TAX INCREASE WE FOUND OUT THERE WERE OTHER ISSUES WE COULD WORK ON.
SO, WHAT HAPPENED? GOOD QUESTION. SKIP ALSTON, BRUCE DAVIS AND PAUL GIBSON WASN'T ABOUT TO LET THIS HAPPEN. PAUL GIBSON TOLD KIRK PERKINS TO GO AHEAD AND MEET WITH TRUDY AND I, BUT WHATEVER HE DID NOT TO LOOK US IN THE EYES. WHAT KIND OF STATEMENT IS THAT?
I HOPE THAT THE NEWS & RECORD WILL PUBLISH OUR MEETING ON JULY 7TH AT 6:30 (THE OLD COURT HOUSE ON MARKET ST) AND ENCOURAGE CITIZENS TO COME AND SPEAK FROM THE FLOOR FOR THREE MINUTES. THE COMMISSIONERS NEED TO HEAR FROM THE TAXPAYERS ON THIS, THE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE, THE BIG RAISE FOR US AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL BOARD MEMEBERS, GIVING MONEY TO NON-PROFITS WHO HAVE NOT FURNISHED US WITH AN AUDIT, ETC, ETC. TAXPAYERS NEED TO SPEAK UP !!!!
Posted on July 3, 2005 10:08 AM
Oh, yes, it's very easy to understand why Gibson, Perkins, Alston and Davis continue to "claim" continuing support and belief in the person who betrayed them. The man supplied them with misleading allegations specifically engineered [although somewhat amateurishly]to get Jenks fired immediately. They crawled in bed with a man who became increasingly nervous as the investigation[s] progressed through 4 local and state investigations. ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching. [the sound you heard was the taxpayers paying for the investigations and the disruption in an excellent Department's daily performance].
To abandon support of Mr. White NOW exposes them to ridicule, and public displeasure. Terms like "egg on the face," and fables like "The Emperor's New Clothes" spring quickly to mind; as do, "Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas".
Consequently their growing, and increasingly nervous attempts to cast [rather stunning and grammatically challenged] aspersions on the one person who has given them nothing but truths , truths which will be proven through yet ANOTHER investigation, although not of Director Crayton this time, exposes them as bumbling charlatans who were presented with "the truth" as Mr. Davis is so fond of cherubically framing his on-camera interviews -- and chose to hide it.
It's really very simple, to admit now that the "prevaricator" was actually the self-seeking and abusive fraud he has been accused of being; a desparate man, frightened for his own job after repeated poor judgement on the job, and who doctored public records to mask a really very juvenile attempt to confuse the Democrats he knew were hostile to Jenks [a man, by the way, who is registered as a Republican] -- blatantly exposes their own lack of professionalism in not examining the motives of their man or his material. Heavens, it might even make it seem to their constituents that they might even have selfish motives of their own. Gasp!
Further, to NOT continue spuriously demeaning the honest citizen's information, courageously made public to right oh, so obvious wrongs -- also tends to expose shaky motives and further reveals they were presented with the truth and ran the other way; a knee-jerk emotional reaction as simple as it is ancient. It's called COWARDICE, and is not to be tolerated in Public Servants, elected to administer HALF-A-BILLION DOLLARS OF PUBLIC MONIES!
The Honest Man's information wasn't what they wanted to hear, therefore, they cannot admit it is truth. AND -- they must further take all possible action to belittle that Honest Man's courage, altruism and dedication.
Well, such is the history of ignominious [look it up, Mr. Davis]behavior in government -- elevate the villain, crucify the hero, and fill your pockets with public funds before the smoke clears. No amount of Buddha-smiles and pained expressions in front of rolling television cameras can make a lie transform into a truth. The Public will not be fooled forever.
Not a pretty picture, huh? Particularly with their constituency growing daily disenchanted with their fiscal irresponsibility and micro-managing excellent Departments to the detriment of the County's best interests.
Director Crayton needn't worry, however. Right does prevail, eventually, and an investigation of chronic abusive actions will soon be launched, whether from Human Resources, the District Attorney's Office or the State Board of Investigation one can only imagine.
The Commissioners who have forced Mr. White back into the Tax Department at the taxpayer's expense [check it out -- it's public record] and into a Department where he is neither trusted nor befriended will, within the year, have little choice but to admit that -- WOW! strange as it seems, the honest man was truly honest, and the prevaricator wasn't. How weird is THAT??!!
The results of the NEXT investigation should become public information just in time to provide honest taxpaying voters time and data to truly reflect on their selections to replace Board Members for next year's elections. I believe it was Shakespeare who wrote, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave; when first we practice to deceive". How true, how true.
And for the record? All private and public overt or implied threats against my Constitutional right to free speech by any member of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners or their satellite agencies, are being recorded and will become part of the investigation.
And, speaking of Constitutional rights -- although it is not specifically underwritten in the Guilford County Constitution, we taxpayers, we citizens are guaranteed the right to petition our government -- local, state or Federal -- for grievances. It's high time we get a Petition going before our half-billion dollar County budget is bled into even more private interests than it is now suffering.
Happy Fourth of July -- and God Bless America...and Guilford County!!
Posted on July 3, 2005 8:41 PM
While Guilford County and the Greensboro area have some fine people and attractions,I must say im glad im not a citizen of that county.Certain commishioners seem to be on a ego trip that will cost the taxpayers of that county dearly,and will be deemed a racist if you reject it..Its kinda like a visit to another country,"nice place to visit but I wouldnt wont to live there"....Ante up Guilford..
Posted on July 8, 2005 7:03 AM